Sometimes Goodbye Is A Second Chance
by SilentSymmetry
Summary: Gogo gets the second chance she's been wishing for- but will she be brave enough to take it? Written for the Tomadashifamily 2015 Secret Santa on Tumblr.


sadaboutciphers's Tomadashifamily Secret Santa gift

Sometimes goodbye is a second chance

The four of them huddled around a laptop in their 'secret hideout' - the spare room in Fred's garage. They'd watched the video five times already. A man, limping and disheveled, stumbles into a police station. People in the lobby understandably give him a wide berth. He's bleeding, one arm hanging limp at his side, bare feet torn to ribbons, the start of a beard hiding his face. Probably homeless, possibly drunk. He goes to the man at the desk, leaning against it for support.

"My name is Tadashi Hamada, I've been kidnapped."

He collapses in a heap from blood loss and exhaustion. He'd be repeating that phrase over and over in the next few hours. The police confirmed his identity before contacting his family – his prints were in the system. Who would have thought that Mr. Goody two shoes had a criminal record?

 _Botfighting? Of all the things Hiro could be doing he chooses conning thugs and gangsters in botfights? He's going to end up in jail or a ditch somewhere and I'll be gray by the time I'm thirty!_

Honey touched Gogo's arm lightly, breaking her out of her haze. "Are you okay?"

"Fantastic."

The blonde nodded mutely, turning back to the screen.

Gogo crossed her arms over her chest. "He has no idea where he was?"

Wasasbi shook his head, eyes hidden behind the mask. "Statement said he had no idea where he was when he got out, just ran blindly until he found a police station. Police canvassed the surrounding area, asking if anyone had seen him running, but no one is talking."

"Like anyone in the area is going to rat out the Fujitas. He couldn't have gone far barefoot- he's lucky they didn't break his legs." She never set foot in Fujita territory if she could help it, one of the few instances where she wouldn't take the shortest route on deliveries.

Honey twirled her hair around her finger. "Do you think they have a network, Wasabi? You could scan the area and hack into their system."

"I sincerely doubt that they have an easily hackable system, much less one that would stand out. What would they call it, 'roller death', no spaces?"

"Why did you learn how to hack, again?" Fred asked.

The taller man shrugged. "Self-preservation, mostly. Those bullies in high school never knew what hit them."

There was a glint in his eye that they rarely got to see, the same kind of glee Honey got building something up to watch her concoctions tear it apart.

"Maybe Baymax can follow his blood trail." Honey said. "Even if it's too faint for the police to pick up, Baymax should be able to find it."

Gogo picked up her helmet, twirling it in her hands. "Great, we find those b-"

"Gogo!"

She rolled her eyes. "Bungee jumpers and the Nerd King can come home."

"Shouldn't we wait for Hiro?" Fred asked. "He'll want to be there to take them down."

"Kid just got his brother back, at least give him this. He can yell at Callaghan later." She'd be damned if she'd let those women hurt Hiro too. She approached the red box, a quipped 'ow' setting the robot to inflate.

"I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion." He glanced around the room, taking in the team suited up in armor before turning back to her. "Where is Hiro?"

 _They'd been working in the lab that morning when Hiro got the call. The kid dropped the tool in his hand, face pale as death. He ran out the door, without a word, without Baymax. Hours later they were in Fred's room, staring at phones that wouldn't ring._

 _"Hiro would have told us if something was wrong, right?" Honey asked. "I mean really wrong?"_

 _"He left the Michelin Man." Gogo deadpanned. He and the robot had been inseparable since Hiro rebuilt him. Dread was pooling in her stomach, nausea setting in. Wasabi was starting to look ill himself, shaking hands holding his phone._

 _"I can't get ahold of Cass. The Lucky Cat line keeps going straight to voicemail and she's not picking up her cell. Hiro's not answering either."_

 _"What about Anthony?" Honey asked. "You know, he works at the café on weekends? Would he know what's going on?"_

 _"You got his number?"_

 _Honey shook her head as Wasabi set his phone down and took knitting needles and a skein of yarn out of his bag, the anxiety melting from his face as he cast stitches._

 _"Does, does Hiro have any other family? You know, in case something ever happened to Cass?"_

 _"He's got no one," Gogo said. Hiro and Aunt Cass are all I've got._

 _"He's got us," Fred put in. "Little dude could stay here, I could even get Dad to apply for custody if that's what it takes. It'd be nice having a little brother around." He glanced around, avoiding their gaze. "Any of you could stay here, you know; if you ever needed to. I wouldn't even have to ask my parents, it's not like they're ever home to notice."_

 _Gogo sighed. "Yeah, I know that feeling."_

 _A cheery tune broke the silence, Honey Lemon's face brightening at the sight of her phone._

 _"It's Hiro!"_

 _They all clamored around her as she shushed them._

 _"Hiro! Oh thank goodness, we were so-" Honey's face fell. "H-Hiro don't cry. Hiro, you're scaring me, sweetie."_

 _"Oh crap, no." Wasabi held his head in his hands while Fred wrung his beanie. Trust the men to keep it together in a crisis._

 _"Put him on speaker." She ordered._

 _"Hiro, dear, I'm putting you on speaker now, okay? It's just us here."_

 _"He's alive, holy crap, he's alive." He was hysterical, barely speaking English. His breath hitched, threatening to hyperventilate._

 _"Hiro, shut up." Leiko snapped. "Now breathe and tell me what happened."_

 _"Gogo," his voice cracked. "It's Tadashi, he's alive."_

Callaghan had left Tadashi injured in the care of Fujitas, not having the heart to kill him but needing to stay under the radar. Callaghan told them his son was set on fire by a rival gang; he couldn't take him to a hospital. At some point the demands started coming, the Painted Ladies demanding more money if Callaghan wanted to see his 'son' alive again. Tadashi couldn't name the back alley doctor who had treated him, though from the expressions on the officer's face when he gave the description it wasn't good. Hiro's observation, not hers. None of them had seen their deceased friend yet, and if Aunt Cass hadn't verified his story they'd be looking into having the kid committed. Who had they buried? _What_ had they buried?

Tadashi had been waiting for a chance to escape, but made a run for it far too early when he suspected that the women were starting to piece together who he was. If they found his family… Gogo shook her head. They wouldn't figure it out.

Even if they did, it wouldn't matter. The Fujitas would be in jail by then; they wouldn't get a chance to hurt the Hamadas or Aunt Cass. His family had just gotten Tadashi back and they weren't going to lose him to protective custody while waiting for a hearing date.

She was ready to scream at all the work it took to get Baymax suited up – hadn't they wasted too much time already? The kid couldn't have thought of a way around corseting a marshmallow?

Baymax seemed oblivious as always to her irritation, not budging an inch as she tried to shove him out the door. "Shouldn't we wait for Hiro?"

She sighed, reminding herself that sarcasm was wasted on the robot.

"We told you, Baymax, he's busy."

"Yes, you mentioned that. But where is Hiro?"

"He's with Tadashi…"

Baymax whirled around, his monotone voice almost sounding distressed.

"Hiro is dead?"

"No," Honey said, placing a hand on the robot's arm. "No, Hiro is fine, Baymax. Tadashi's alive."

Baymax looked to the others for confirmation.

"But, Hiro said Tadashi died in a fire. People do not recover from death… did Hiro lie? Why would he lie? I want to see Tadashi now."

Wasabi stepped in. "Hiro didn't lie, buddy, he didn't know. But the people who had Tadashi, they're going to come back for him. Maybe even Hiro. So we need to take care of this first."

Baymax blinked, looking them all over. "How can I be of assistance?"

 _It was just the two of them in the lab- late nights were their domain. Leiko because she prefered the night, Tadashi because he wouldn't quit. It was a comfortable silence really, not the loaded ones she grew up with those nights her parents bothered to come home while she was still awake. He never made her talk if she didn't want to, never minded carrying the weight of the conversation. He was always there – hot chocolate when you didn't expect it, a shoulder to cry on, someone to talk to._ Morning Leiko, how are you?

 _Mr. Perfect, Pretty Boy, Teachers Pet, arguably the first real friend she'd ever had. He'd brought her into his circle, the other three getting under her skin faster than she'd thought possible. Four friends, who would have thought?_

 _"Shit!"_

 _Gogo jumped at the obscenity, followed by the sound of metal hitting metal. Did Hamada just swear? Throw a wrench? She tiptoed into his corner of the lab. He sat slumped on a chair; head in his hands, white knuckles gripping his hair by the roots._

 _She eyed the blueprints and crumpled up calculations_ _strewn across the floor._

 _"Guess it was only a matter of time before you snapped, Hamada. What did your brother do this time?"_

 _"No, it's this," he gestured around the mess, his native tongue apparently failing him._

 _"_ Project. _I can't get the calculations right."_

 _She picked up a discarded paper, eyeing the numbers. "Adapt, then. It's what, a doctor robot? Does it really need to be that strong and lightweight?"_

 _"Yes, it does."_

 _"Then at least make the frame bulkier, all these designs look like you're sketching cartoons."_

 _"I thought of that, it would be too scary looking. It has to be as non-threatening as possible."_

 _She sighed, feeling like she was arguing with Fred. "Okay, then cut the compact carrying bay. That should-"_

 _"He has to fit in the trunk!" he was on his feet, inches from her as he glared her down._

 _Gogo had never seen him angry before, didn't know his eyes could get that dark. Regret immediately replaced anger as he rubbed a hand_ _over his tired face._

 _"A trunk. I meant,_ it _has to fit in_ a _trunk." He slumped back into his chair, exhausted now. "I'm sorry, Leiko, I,"_

 _She sat on the table in front of him, smoothing out other blueprints._

 _"What does it have to do, after it gets out of the trunk?"_

 _He swallowed, taking a seat beside her, eyes downcast._

 _"It, it needs to fold small enough to fit in the trunk. It's activated by the crash, maybe the sound? The impact? It has to be able to think quickly, to be able to assess the situation without actually seeing… the patients. A scan of some kind? It has to be able to lift the car up, rip the car open and save the passengers before… well; they'd need first aid because ambulances don't come fast enough. You know you can get a pizza faster than an ambulance? I've timed it."_

 _She popped her gum, thinking. "I guess if there were kids in there too they'd be pretty scared. Don't need a beefy robot ripping off car doors making it worse."_

 _"Exactly. They have ten minutes after impact. They…"_

 _He didn't finish, staring off past the floor. She supposed if Honey were here she'd hug him. Fred would suggest looking to Optimus Prime for inspiration while Wasabi would rub his hands together nervously before disappearing and coming back with hot food._

 _She gave the blueprint in her hand one last look over before tossing it in the trash bin._

 _"Well, we'd better get started then. Get us some coffee or something while I run some numbers."_

 _"You don't have to,"_

 _It was her turn to glare. "Tadashi. Shut up, okay? Coffee, now."_

 _He smiled at her before leaving without another word. She knew right then that she was too far gone._

They huddled around a dumpster, Baymax pointing out a stain on the concrete next to the loading bay door of a warehouse.

"My scans detect Tadashi's DNA spread throughout that building, the largest concentration in a stairwell leading to a basement."

Her stomach dropped at the puddle, even from where she was standing it seemed dark and wide, more like an oil spill than anything that could come from a person.

 _Exsanguination can take just a minute if the right vein is cut, even less. Baymax has to be able to respond that fast._

How much blood had he lost?

"Great, let's call the cops." She said.

Baymax's mind seemed to be elsewhere as he looked the group over.

"I understand that this must be a very stressful and confusing time for you all. Who would like to share?"

The world's dorkiest robot brought to you by the world's biggest dork.

"Not now Baymax." Gogo snapped as she turned away, flicking on the phone Hiro had built into their helmets. The phone began to ring, a dispatcher with less emotion in her voice then Baymax answered the phone.

"Uh, guys?" Wasabi cut in.

She turned. Two women exited the building carrying a stained mattress between them. A third came with a trash bag and a can of gasoline.

"They're torching the evidence." Wasabi said.

"What do we do?" Honey asked.

"Stall 'em."

Fred leapt at them with a roar, flames licking at the gas canisters. Gogo barked the address at the operator, stating that she'd found the Fujitas before hanging up and joining the fight. So much for staying off the news.

 _"Ask him out!" Honey repeated, the treble rising in her voice._

 _"Hell no."_

 _This, this was why she never had girlfriends before. She didn't have the patience for this kind of nonsense. The fact that most other girls hated her didn't help either. Truthfully she'd found that she didn't mind 'girl talk' as much as she thought she would._

 _"Tadashi's a great guy, Leiko!"_

 _"You ask him out, then. You're more alike anyway." The two optimists of the group would have made sense together. Sunny personalities, tall, helpful, great cooks… the thought made her ill._

 _Honey smiled patiently. "Leiko, dear. If you mix peroxide with peroxide you just get more peroxide. If you want to actually make something, you need to add something completely different."_

 _"Yeah, and make what? An explosion?"_

 _Months later she stared numbly at the tombstone, her blood cold lead in her veins. A fire. Not a car crash, not thugs after his baby brother but a fire of all things._

 _Rain started falling, cold and sharp. No one had said how the fire started; there were a hundred possible culprits. Chemicals from projects, failing electrical systems in the building or inventions, embers from a cigarette someone sneaked in the bathroom. Whatever started it, they all ended up feeding the flames. Had he burned alive, been crushed by a beam? Did he choke slowly until there wasn't any air left in his lungs? Were his parents waiting on the other side like he'd always hoped they would be?_

 _Leiko had loved him. She could say it now, now that there was no point. She'd been in love with her best friend and hadn't said a word. Everything had fallen apart for Tadashi Hamada for the second time in his life, though this one had ended it._

It only takes a second.

 _She wished for a do over, to just see him one more time. She had thought she was done with fear when she walked out on her parents, head held high. She'd had nothing to lose then, had everything to lose with Tadashi. Across from her, his aunt and brother stood under an umbrella looking small and broken. Hiro barely moved, hardly seemed alive. Lord, he really was just a baby._

I'll take care of him Tadashi, I promise. We all will.

 _They were in Fred's room, their clothes still damp from the bay and salt water chaffing their skin._

 _Arson. Tadashi Hamada was dead at twenty because of arson, all for some_ robots _? Had they killed him when he saw them stealing the invention? Had they just left him to die in the flames?_

 _Then Hiro was talking about stopping him, about upgrades and the weight of what he was suggesting hit her. Superheroes? But he was looking at them excitedly with those big brown eyes, seeming more alive than he had since before the fire. He'd do it on his own if they said no, she was sure of that. Someone had tried to kill them, and who was to say they wouldn't come back to finish the job? She had promised to take care of him._

 _"Tadashi Hamada was our best friend. We're in."_

 _She was done being afraid._

Bladed fans and parasols, chains with hooks and spikes, throwing stars and swords, these women owed copyright fees to a few dozen anime somewhere. More of them kept coming to defend their sisters from the attackers, forcing the heroes further and further back. They didn't even need to win, just buy some time. _You know you can get a pizza faster than an ambulance? I've timed it._

What about a cop, Tadashi? The woman she was fighting swerved out of the way, smirking as her discs zoomed past her.

"I'm missing my favorite doll, have you seen him? He was a gift, but I think he ran off. I was looking forward to breaking him. Maybe when I find him he'll lead me to a dollhouse with a whole family to break."

Gogo roared as she caught the punch, ramming her knee into the assailants arm while returning a blow of her own. She heard the sickening crack as the geisha's arm broke over her armored leg, felt her fist shatter against the Fujita's skull.

Sirens filled the air, Wasabi's voice cutting over the intercom.

"We've gotta go!"

She glanced back, leaving the woman screaming on the pavement, blood gushing from her nose.

None of them spoke as Baymax wrapped her hand, she didn't protest when they took her to the ER. She sat sandwiched between Baymax and Wasabi, squeaking vinyl and clicking knitting needles setting her on edge.

It was all over the news in the waiting room, the student of professor Callaghan thought to be dead found alive, the capture of the all-women gang in a bust earlier thanks to an anonymous tip. The link between the two incidents was being speculated over, but eye witnesses claimed to have spotted Big Hero 6 fighting the Fujitas and fleeing the scene. The little one of the group seemed to be missing, they noted. The kid was going to have a fit. He could yell till he got chest hair, it didn't matter. He was safe, they were all safe.

Honey glanced around, avoiding Gogo and the TV at all costs.

"Remind me why we brought the robot?" Leiko groaned.

"He wanted to visit Tadashi."

Her stomach lurched. "He's here? Why didn't you tell me?"

Honey blinked in confusion. "I- I thought you knew? We were talking about it on the way, dear."

"We're just waiting for Hiro to give us the okay." Fred put in.

Wasabi's phone buzzed. "That would be little man now. You guys ready?"

"What about Gogo?"

Wasabi clipped a row counter in the yarn, placing the project back in his bag.

"There's at least eight people ahead of us in line, we can check back in an hour or so."

Baymax placed a chubby hand on her shoulder. "Gogo, your stress levels are rising. Do you want to share now?"

She squeezed her swollen fist, the pain anchoring her down.

"No, you guys go on ahead. I'll just wait."

"Gogo-"

"No reason to crowd him after all this. It will be cramped enough in there with marshmallow."

"We can wait with you if you want." Honey offered.

"Just, just go on ahead, okay?"

She couldn't do this, not here, not now. She felt herself beginning to crack at the seams, squeezed her hand till blood seeped out between her swollen fingers. Fred smiled lazily though, not seeing her unsheathing her claws.

"Come on,"

Honey stepped in, energy brushing past them. "We'll check up on you later then. Text us with updates though, okay? And don't you try getting home by yourself, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah. Got it."

They boys went on ahead with Baymax, debating if Hiro had seen the news yet.

Honey Lemon hung back, biting her lip. "You know Leiko, you'll never get a second chance like this again."

She opened her mouth to snap at Honey, a squeak of breath escaping before her mind went blank. Gogo sighed, hanging her head.

"Yeah, I know."

 _Gogo was spending another break alone in the lab; the others were home with their families, most of them in different cities. Work was slow, and she couldn't stand being in her empty apartment any longer. She heard him from far off, singing Christmas carols. He came in, two steaming travel cups in hand, a red Santa hat set over his baseball cap. Her heart fluttered as he hands her a cup, a sarcastic smirk plastered on her face._

 _"Shouldn't you be stuffing your cat into a stocking or something, Hamada?"_

 _"I don't think there's a stocking in the city big enough for Mochi. Did I tell you he tried to steal the Thanksgiving turkey this year?"_

 _"Only five times." she took sip. "How did you find me?"_

 _"Honey said you might be here."_

 _Her heart dropped. "Did she ask you to check up on me?"_

 _"Well yes, but I was already on my way to your apartment when she called." He glanced around her littered workstation. "Not going home?"_

 _"Don't see a point."_

 _"Are your parents still on you about law school then?"_

 _"Did Fred give you a comic book for Christmas?"_

 _He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "He called this one a graphic novel, but yeah."_

 _"There you go."_

 _They sat in silence, twinkle lights from outside filtering through the raindrops on the windows._

 _"It's funny," she said. "How they think they can ignore me my whole life, leave me to raise myself and then try to tell me what to do. It'd be one thing if they'd actually been there, but I graduate and all of the sudden these strangers are shoving applications for Harvard law under my door."_

 _"They kicked you out, right?"_

 _"I left before they had the chance."_

You live under our roof, you do what we say.

Bitch, I'm already gone.

 _"Maybe it's for the best. They may never accept your decision, but maybe getting away from each other can heal your relationship. Maybe sometimes goodbye is a second chance."_

 _Tears stung her eyes. She wanted to sob into his shirt, to feel him holding her, calloused hands smoothing her hair back, to hear him humming Christmas songs like a lullaby and feel his voice rumble in his chest._

 _Instead she slugged his arm, smiling. "You stole that from a song, you colossal dork."_

 _He laughed. "Yeah, but you knew the song so you're a dork too."_

Hours later, hand numb and bones reset, she found herself standing outside his door. They were gone – retrieving takeout and toiletries. Even Hiro had disappeared down the hall with Baymax waddling behind him, lecturing Hiro on his caffeine intake.

Deep breath, she pushed through the door. Tadashi was asleep, white knuckled grip on the blankets pooled around him. Angry red streaked his exposed arms and neck, stitches slashed across his forehead and gaunt cheek. But it was him it was him it was _him_.

"Tadashi?"

He jerked awake, eyes wide as the heart monitor picked up. He scrambled backwards in the bed, groping beside him for a weapon and falling on his bandaged arm.

"Tadashi, it's just me."

Recognition set in as he slowly relaxed.

"Leiko?" he croaked, his voice raw.

She swallowed back tears, pasting on a smirk. "You look like hell, Pretty Boy."

He smiled, still visibly shaking. "Sorry, I guess I dozed off and forgot where I was. I thought you were…"

His smile faded, suddenly looking distant. She should have broken the Fujita's leg while she was at it. She'd do the same to Callaghan if she ever got the chance. But Tadashi brightened again, returning to the present.

"I missed you. Honey Lemon said you were getting patched up." He glanced at her bandaged hand. "Can I see it?"

She shrugged, pulling herself to sit on the edge of the bed. He gingerly took her hand, feeling over the cast and swollen knuckles.

"Holy crap, Leiko. What were you boxing, a cinderblock?"

"You should have seen the other guy." She said. "What did Honey tell you?"

"That you got into a fight on your route again." He had yet to release her hand, but his trembling was starting to subside. The dark circles under his eyes were more noticeable up close, his skin ashen. Hadn't they been feeding him?

"Well the other guy started it, I just finished it."

"I don't doubt that. How are you feeling?"

"I'm supposed to be asking you that, dingbat."

He laughed, releasing her hand and rubbing the back of his head. "This is honestly the best I've been in a long time. The officer handling my case? He said they found enough evidence against the Fujita's and Callaghan that I won't even have to testify. It's over."

Her façade broke as tears threatened to well up again. He was safe. They'd done it.

The two of them continued talking as she filled him in on what he'd missed; the new robotics professor, their friends, her job, her project, her family. Lord she'd missed this. It was easier to talk to him than anyone else; she never felt so safe opening up. She hadn't realized how numb his death had left her. Being with him after so long felt… the way coming home was supposed to feel.

Tadashi took her hand in his again. "Hiro tells me you've been taking care of him."

She raised an eyebrow. "He said that?"

"Well," he chuckled. "He said you kept nagging him to do homework and smacked him upside the head with a V-8 when he packed a gummy bear sandwich, but the sentiment was there."

"He was literally vibrating from sugar and he's still a twig."

Tadashi laughed, sending her heart fluttering. She could back out, there was time now. When he got back from the hospital, when his nightmares left, when the Fujitas were in jail or they found a way to tell him about Big Hero 6…

She sighed, taking her hand away from him. "Look, I've gotta tell you something okay? I was too afraid to say anything before, and then you were gone. I'm in love with you. You don't have to say anything – in fact if we could never speak of this again that would be,"

He was on her in a second, lips pressed to hers. She'd been kissed hot and hard, wet and desperate, in the dark and on a dance floor. But never tender. Never like she was made of glass, never like he was breathing her in.

He pulled away, smiling as he wiped tears from her cheek.

"I was convinced I'd get the chance to do that. I thought about you every night."

"Idiot." She buried her face in his chest, sobbing as he smoothed her hair back. He pulled her back, carefully kissing the tears from her lashes before stealing her breath again.

The door squeaked open, familiar footsteps trailing in the room. She jerked away, reaching for a tissue Baymax offered her.

"Hey, Hiro." Tadashi said. "Any word from the guys yet?"

The younger teen shrugged as he dropped into a chair. "Honey said Wasabi got into an argument with the waiter about ginger in their order so now they're starting over with the food. I told them not to bother rushing back since you two were busy making out."


End file.
